LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- No British tourists are thought to have been killed in the latest bomb attacks on Bali, Indonesia, but the possibility of Britons being killed could not be ruled out, the country's ambassador to Indonesia said on Sunday.
Two Britons were injured, one seriously, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted Charles Humfrey, the ambassador as saying. A help line was set up on Saturday evening for relatives worried about their dear ones in Bali.
"We're still contacting hotels and others to make sure there's no-one missing," said the ambassador, adding that there were still10 unidentified bodies at a local hospital mortuary.
Malaysian fugitive Azahari Bin Husin, a former Reading University student, is suspected of helping mastermind the bombs, in which 22 people died. He is reportedly a bomb maker for the terror organization Jemaah Islamiah and had been on Indonesia's most wanted lists since the attacks in 2002.
There are approximately 1,000 tourists currently in Bali with British tour operators, said a source with the Association of British Travel Agents.
A woman with dual British/Australian nationality has been airlifted off the island to Singapore for further treatment.
On Sunday, British Defense Secretary John Reid denied any direct link between the Bali bombings to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"These people who spread their murder and mayhem were carrying out attacks before the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and people have to be prepared to accept that they may continue to do so for some time," Reid said in Afghanistan, where he was briefly visiting.
The British Foreign Office urges travellers to Bali to "exercise extreme caution at all times because there remains a high threat from terrorism".
The number of British tourists visiting the island resort, already down since the Bali bombings of 2002, is expected to take another dip following Saturday's blasts.
Twenty-eight Britons were among the 202 people killed in the 2002 bombing, which had been blamed on Islamic extremists.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has condemned "in the strongest terms the appalling attacks in Bali".
The latest bombings took place just before 2000 local time (1200 GMT), with two going off at a seaside area packed with restaurants whereas another at an area popular with Western tourists. Enditem |